This invention relates to diaphragm-type pressure transducers, and in particular to a method of making such transducers.
Diaphragm-type pressure transducers comprise a flexible diaphragm with a strain gauge mounted thereon. Pressure changes cause the diaphragm to flex, which is detected and measured by the strain gauge. An example of such a transducer is disclosed in Studlien, U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,116, incorporated herein by reference. Diaphragm-type pressure transducers have long been know in many different forms, and are presently in use in a wide variety of applications.
However, until the present invention, these transducers have usually been individually made. Thus they have been relatively expensive, which has to some extent limited the applications in which they are used. Moreover, the prior methods for manufacturing diaphragm-type pressure transducers have been labor intensive and time consuming, which has kept the price of diaphragm-type pressure transducers high.